Swimming pools



June 3, 1969 b. P. GABRIELLI ET AL 3,447,168- I SWIMMING POOLS Sheet Filed March 14, 1966 INYENTORS v Y K M M6 M0 aw r mL U. 66' 2a 0 Arrow/vans v June 3, 1969 I GABR|ELL| ET AL 3,447,168

SWIMMING PooLs Filed March 14, 1966 Sheet 5 m m E V m 0.2 GABRIELL/ and J. CHILL/ V0 BY GL-AAMAN; g

ATTOQNEYS United States Patent 3,447,168 SWIMMING POOLS Donald P. Gabrielli, Spring Valley, and Joseph Chillino,

Stony Point, N.Y., assignors to Epic Pools Corp.,

Monsey, N .Y., a corporation of New York Filed Mar. 14, 1966, Ser. No. 534,121 Int. Cl. E04h 3/16 U.S. Cl. 4172 1 Claim ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A prefabricated swimming pool has interconnected side walls enclosing a lined bottom and carrying spaced ribs. The ribs carry gussets which support upwardly extending posts. Camber bars are partially spaced from the side walls and are adjustable to compensate for water pressure inside the pool.

This invention relates to swimming pools and refers more particularly to swimming pools installed in private homes, hotels and the like.

The use of swimming pools has greatly increased during the past decade since home owners, even those owning a comparatively small plot of ground, are more desirous of having a swimming pool for recreation and health purposes. On the other hand at the present time the installation of swimming pools is a comparatively lengthy, difficult and expensive procedure since, in addition to the provision of water supplying and circulating systems, it requires the digging of the ground for the pool as well as the erection of the necessary side walls and top surfaces. Pools of the type generally used in private homes may be divided into various categories, namely, pools which are located essentially above ground and those which are partly immersed in the ground, pools provided with diving areas,

as well as smaller pools without any diving area, etc. The construction and erection of such pools on location requires considerable eiforts on the part of skilled labor and thus greatly increases the costs of erecting the pools. Attempts have been made to diminish costs of erecting pools by manufacturing parts of the pool in a factory and then shipping such parts ready for installation. However, such prefabricated pools have not been entirely satisfactory up to the present time due to poor designing which makes it difficult to adapt them to local conditions and requirements.

Another important drawback of existing prefabricated pools is that they are not readily adapted to withstand inner water pressure, so that frequent repairs are necessary and as a rule, the life of the pool is quite limited.

An object of the present invention is to eliminate drawbacks of prior art constructions through the provision of a prefabricated pool of novel and most effective design which can be readily installed in homes substantially without the use of skilled labor and which is of permanent nature, capable of lasting without repairs for many years.

Another object of the provision of a prefabricated pool which can be readily installed either above ground or for the most part below ground, depending upon local conditions and the wishes of the purchaser.

A further object is the provision of a prefabricated pool which is provided with effective means controlling its resistance against inner water pressure, whereby such means can be quickly and easily adjusted without the use of skilled labor.

3,447,168 Patented June 3, 1969 Yet another object is the provision of a prefabricated pool which may be provided with a full width diving area, if such diving area is desired by the owner, and which may be also installed without the diving area or with diving areas of different types.

Still another object is the provision of a swimming pool having side walls with gussets of a special design which greatly strengthen and improve the construction, thereby greatly increasing the life of the pool.

Yet another object is the provision of a pool of comparatively small size which is provided with sills of a construction which will greatly strengthen the pool.

Other objects of the present invention will become apparent in the course of the following specification.

In the accomplishment of the objectives of the present invention it was found desirable to provide a prefabricated pool the fencing of which as well as the side walls are manufactured in a factory and are delivered in a disassembled condition. The deck and the side walls are made of wolmanized grade plywood. The bottom and the adjacent sides of the ground are shaped with sand in the usual manner. Tie rods of steel are used to connect the lower ends of the walls. Then the bottom and the sides are covered by a vinyl liner. Steel channels which extend all around the pool are used to strengthen the structure. .An important feature of the construction is the provision of gussets of polygonal form specially designed to constitute a support for the steel channels and fence posts. The number of gussets may vary but they should be located sufiiciently closely to provide a strong construction. Another important feature of the construction is the provision of an adjustable camber bar or bars which can be readily adjusted by a screw to adapt the resistance of the walls of the pool to prevailing water pressure.

The prefabricated swimming pools of the present invention are provided with means making it possible to readily mount them either above ground or to a great extent below ground, with or without diving areas. Pools having a constant depth have sills, which provide a firm hold of the pool upon the underlying ground.

The invention will appear more clearly from the following detailed description when taken in connection with the accompanying drawings showing by way of example, preferred embodiments of the inventive idea.

In the drawings:

FIGURE 1 is a perspective view of a pool constructed in accordance with the principles of the present invention.

FIGURE 2 shows one side of the pool, partly in section.

FIGURE 3 is an end view thereof.

FIGUR E 4 is a top view of the pool, also partly in section.

FIGURE 5 is a detailed enlarged view showing one of the gussets.

FIGURE -6 is a side view, partly in section, showing the location of a swimming pool mostly below the ground.

FIGURE 7 is an enlarged perspective partial view showing a swimming pool provided with sills.

The swimming pool 10 shown in FIGS. 1 to 5 is illustrated as being installed substantially above ground, the arrangement of the same swimming pool below ground being shown in FIG. '6'.

The swimming pool '10 is shown as enclosing the bottom '11. In the example illustrated, a portion 12 of the bottom is shaped to form a diving area.

According to a special constructional feature of the present invention the diving area may extend the full width of the pool, for example, to the extent of 16 feet. However, as already mentioned, a smaller diving area spaced from the sides and provided with a substantially rectangular bottom may be also employed. Furthermore, the diving area may be eliminated altogether.

In the illustrated example, the diving area is located adjacent an extended deck 13 formed by wolmanized plywood.

The sides of the pool consist of four walls 14 of wolmanized lumber which have inner smooth surfaces and uniformly spaced outer vertical ribs 15. In the example illustrated in FIGS. l6 elongated panels 16 are firmly connected with the lower edges of the walls and the ribs by nailing or the like. Furthermore, as indicated in FIG. 4, transverse tie rods 17 made of steel extend across the sides and the corners of the pool and are firmly connected with the panels 16 by any suitable means. A layer of sand is located above the tie rods. This bottom layer of sand and the tie rods are covered by a vinyl liner which also covers the inner sides of the pool. The four walls 14 are connected by angle irons 18 located at the four corners of the pool (FIG. 1).

Gussets 19 (FIG. are used to support channel irons 20 and to hold vertical posts 21. The posts 21 carry a number of horizontal rods 22 constituting the upper fencing of the pool. Each gusset is formed by two parallel angular pieces 23 fixed to opposite sides of a rib 15 close to the upper end of the rib. In the example illustrated every second rib 15 carries a gusset 19. However, the number of gusset-carrying ribs obviously may vary depending upon requirements. The outer end of each gusset carries an upper post 21. The intermediate portions of each gusset are horizontal, so that these portions serve as supports for plywood plates, channel irons 20 and plywood panels 24 located on top of the channel irons 20. The channel irons extend from one end to the opposite end of each side of the pool. Adjacent ends of the channel irons 20 engage each other so as to form a rectangular structure which holds firmly the side walls of the pool. These adjacent ends are joined by rivets, screws or any other suitable means.

An important feature of the present invention consists in the provision of camber bars 25 which are located along two longer sides of the pool. One end of each camber bar is welded to the corner end of an iron 20. The other end of the camber bar is located closely to the middle of the iron 20 and has an end piece 26 which joins the adjacent end of another camber bar. A screw 27 extends through this connecting piece and engages the iron 20 substantially in the middle thereof. It is apparent that the screw 27 exerts pressure on the iron 20.

When excessive water pressure is exerted upon the sides of the swimming pool, its owner can conveniently adjust this pressure by operating the screw 27. Thus the side walls of the swimming pool can be adjusted so that they will not bulge or lose their shape due to excessive water pressure.

It is apparent that when larger pools are constructed, the number of screws 27 may be increased, for example, by providing two adjusting screws on each side of the pool.

As best shown in FIG. 2, the swimming pool may be located substantially above ground so that only the diving area 12 will be located below ground, while the bottom 11 will be located substantially close to the upper ground level. Posts 28 adjacent the deck 13 are located essentially above ground and only their ends are placed on the ground. The pool may extend about seven feet above ground.

The swimming pool of the present invention is provided with the usual water circulating means which are of the well-known type and are not illustrated in the drawings.

When erecting the pool the ground is dug first, then the prefabricated walls 14- are brought in and their panels 16 are connected with the tie rods 17. The four corners of the walls 14 are bolted by angle irons 18. The tie rods and the bottom are covered with mason sand and then the vinyl liner is placed over the bottom and the inner sides of the pool. The vinyl liner is smoothed by the use of water pressure. The gussets 19 carrying the upper posts 21 are fixed to the ribs 15, the channel irons 20 and the panels 24 are placed upon them and then the ends of the channel irons 20 are firmly joined. The construction is completed by attaching the horizontal fence rods 22 and providing a stairway 29.

It is apparent that the erection of the described swimming pool is greatly simplified by comparison with prior art pools and yet the erected pool of the present invention is most durable and capable of withstanding inclement weather.

In the construction shown in FIGURE 6, substantially the same swimming pool is shown as being located partially below ground. It will be noted that the vertical ribs will extend below ground and that the gussets 19 will be close to the ground surface. In that case practically only the fencing 21, 22 will appear above ground and the pool may extend above ground to the extent of only three feet.

FIGURE 7 shows a pool 29 of constant depth which is provided with a sill 30 connected with tie rods 31.

In erecting a pool of this type the sill 30 is placed into the ground as soon as the ground is dug and the four walls 14 with their ribs 15 are set up on the sill. In other respects the procedure is substantially the same as that already described. Sills when used in pools of constant depth are most effective to prevent the sinking of the pool walls. Pools of this construction are usually located entirely above ground.

It is apparent that the examples described above have been given solely by way of illustration and not by way of limitation and are capable of many variations and modifications within the scope of the present invention. All such variations and modifications are to be included within the scope of the present invention.

What is claimed is:

1. A prefabricated swimming pool, comprising, in combination, four walls forming a rectangle, vertical angle irons joining adjacent edges of the walls to form four corners of the pool, spaced vertical ribs carried by said walls, elongated panels connected with the lower edges of said walls and said ribs, transverse tie rods extending between two opposed walls and other transverse tie rods extending across said corners, said tie rods being firmly connected with said panels, a plurality of gussets, each gusset comprising two parallel angular pieces fixed to opposite sides of a separate rib and having horizontal and vertical edges, a vertical post connected to said vertical edges, channel irons carried by said horizontal edges, said channel irons extending along said walls and having interconnected ends to form a rectangular structure enclosing and holding said walls, at least one separate camber bar having an end firmly connected to one of said channel irons close to a corner of the pool and extending along each of said longer sides in spaced relationship to said channel iron to substantially the middle thereof and an opposed camber bar having an end firmly connected to said one channel iron close to another corner of the pool and extending along the same longer side in spaced relationship to said channel iron toward the first-mentioned camber bar, an end member interconnecting adjacent ends of the two aforesaid camber bars, an adjustable screw extending through said end piece and pressing against said one channel iron substantially in the middle thereof so as to provide an adjustment means against excessive water pressure, and panels carried by said channel irons, the number of said gussets being less than that of said ribs.

(References on following page) References Cited UNITED 6 OTHER REFERENCES STATES PATENTS Des. 185,570, June 1959, Pruess.

Jaynes 52 -73 LAVERNE D. GEIGER, Primaly Examiner. Bedick.

Heise 52 73 5 HENRY K. ARTIS, Asszstant Exammer. Hall. US. Cl. X.R.

Schwarz et a1. 4172 52-73 

